Open Tue–Sat 6pm–midnight
You know it’s going to be a good night when you spot not one, but two celebrities within minutes of stepping off the tube. Both Kelly of Stereophonics fame, and Stevie, of ermm Made in Chelsea fame, were in The White Horse pub’s beer garden – unfortunately not together – now that would have been an interesting pairing. After such sights and speculations Claude’s Kitchen evidently had a lot to live up to. Arriving at the venue of our next aperitif though, half the battle was already won. Hip Champagne bar Amuse Bouche is Claude’s sister bar, and the perfect welcoming committee for the foodie haven upstairs. If you’ve ever been torn between between a cocktail or a glass of Champagne (and it has happened to us all), then one of the artfully mixed Champagne cocktails could be the answer to all your problems. Amuse Bouche’s spin on a mojito was slick and sweet enough to convert even the most die-hard fan of the Cuban classic.
Having taken the edge off the working day nicely, it was time to see if the food could keep up. As it turned out, Claude’s Kitchen could be somebody’s living room – if the person in question had a refined taste in stylishly vintage adornments and delicate decor. They’d also have to be an exceedingly good cook. In other words, the cocktails had best be quaking in their martini glasses.
I started off with the Jerusalem artichoke with goats curd (£6). It was slightly too rich for me but for those who adore goats cheese – and there does seem to be an almost evangelical fan club built around the stuff – this is a winner. Meanwhile, my friend enjoyed her hand-dived scallops (£7) which were prettily arranged on the plate like two sleeping… Scallops. My main course of Kaboucha squash (£14) shot off the salad scale (one being a sad piece of lettuce, served as the pub kitchen closes, ten being a spicy Vietnamese version of the humble leafy bowl, at Soho’s Pho). Warm, fresh and colourful, and packed with lentils and tomatoes, just looking at it was enough to provide some much-needed reassurance that Spring was on its way. Eating it sealed the deal. My companion extolled the virtues of the pork belly (£15) offset to perfection with pureed pumpkin. It was her first taste of the delicacy and she heralded it as a great introduction. There wasn’t too much room for dessert, but in the interests of research we plumped for the vanilla and espresso-themed Allfogatto (£4) and piquillo, coffee and meringue concoction bitter choc parfait (£6). Both choices were heaven for coffee lovers. The roast bean flavours lent rich bitterness to sweet vanilla and hot piquillos, resulting in two excellent choices for rounding off the meal stylishly. We sipped on the gorgeous Borseo Macabeo (0.5lt caraf £10 / 0.25lt glass £6.50 / 0.175lt glass £4.50) throughout – a delicious accompaniment to the tasty fare.
Claude’s is a prize destination for those in search of fresh produce cooked with a flourish, and with an ever-changing weekly menu, you could find yourself huddled amongst trendy groups of west Londoners again and again. Did it live up to the red carpet moments of earlier? Definitely – in this part of Parson’s Green, the food is the real star.
